Re: My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

Here are some more July 1 2012 fire Pictures from Kinsey Distillery once a division of Continental Distilling and a fully owned Subsidiary of Publicker Industries back in the day!
1. Warehouse D
2. Looking down at Warehouses D & E standing where Dsp-pa-10 Rye Barn stood, it was torn down to get to the fire with an exavator sadly.
3. Looking over from where the #10 Rye Barn was to the Old Kinsey Bottle House.
4. Between these walls once stood the second of the oldest Warehouses Old Kinsey Warehouse B, it and warehouse A had no elevators but instead you used a chain hoist to lift barrels up to the racks and to pull them. see Picture 7 also for another shot of B.
5. Sign torn from racks in what was warehouse D says section 1.
6. This was the elevator in Warehouse E sadly Warehouse E which I was never in all these years because it still had a very large Padlock from Publicker on the only door in and no one ever cut it, was in better shape then all the rest of the old ones looking at the wood on the racks and also it still had a roof. This was the elevator I hit bottom in when someone put an extra barrel in when I wass not looking! Also the wonderful 20 year old/ Old Hickory Bourbon was made with barrels from this warehouse.
7. This hole between the walls was Kinsey Warehouse B built in 1892.
8. Amazingly the very First Warehouse ever built at Kinsey Warehouse A still stands, no roof but still intact.
I will post some more in the next couple of days and be sure and look at the 5 pictures I posted on the Fire observation room thread too!

Also for me this is like the death of a dear friend, Kinsey Distillery never deserved this and Jake Kinsey and Si Neuman would be feeling my Pain were they alive today. I loved working there I loved the Old Buildings so much and I loved the people I worked with there. THOSE WERE THE DAYS MY FRIENDS
Dave Z
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Kinsey The Unhurried Whiskey For Unhurried Moments

Re: My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

what a shame, I wish I would have spent more time there. I think I'm going to plan a trip up there to sort through some of the rubble and see what I can find. I think ill be bringing some shovels, hedge clippers and a saw with me. It may yield some good writing on the old timbers.

Re: My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

Hey Dave, it was good seeing you there the other day. So I told you about that music video that I shot at Kinsey. This was shot the day before the fire. Hopefully I did Kinsey some justice with the video.

Let me know what you think? This is a local 14 year old girl, whom I am friends with her mother. She is an aspiring singer and her mother asked me to create a music video to share online.

Re: My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

Here are some shots I got at Kinsey after the Fire on Monday July 2
around 6:00 PM.
I was amazed looking in the ruins at how strong and well built the walls were on warehouses D & E, 4 Bricks thick I have a couple of pictures showing them. Also as I said before what a shame the guy on the Excavator got carried away Knocking the wall into E down when no fire got in there, also leaving the structure at the mercy of Weather. I am sure I will get some snow pictures of the ruins this winter.
looking in E the floors were still there and it still had a half desent Roof. Here are some more pictures!
1. Warehouse E Note the thickness of the wall 4 bricks thick, Jake Kinsey Built them better then I ever relised. Note between the wall and racks is the Elevator Shaft all the wood boards sideways going up to the top with a Box sitting on the roof.
2. Warehouse E again
3. Back wall of Warehouse E with the Door now opened for the first time in 30+ years by where the Old Barrel rails were. That is the reason it was so good yet because Vandels never got into it. The Racks Wood looks like new. Also the elevator in E like H was at the door out so if something happened you had a chance. With the elevator at the very back of warehouse D you would have to walk the whole small wooden walkway to get out.
I never got in this one all the years going there, as it still had a large old Publicker Pad lock on it and no one ever cut it. Another note the Elevator on this one in E had the box type top like H verses built in the wall D.
4. The Elevator sitting at the bottom of the Shaft in Warehouse D. Both D & E shared a common wall between them.
5. The Elevator Control Panel Warehouse D which is alot like the one I saved from Warehouse H. It is my Guess all the old frieght Elevators were made and built by Reading Elevator Co, Reading Pa like Warehouse H.
6. A Sprinkler sticking out of the racks in Warehouse E.
7. Warehouse D Elevator Shaft which is different from all the others in it is built in the wall and is at the very back in the wall at the river.
8. The top of the Elevator Shaft on Warehouse D note the metal frame still holiding the Elevator Motor.

The one thing I get some peace about this is Nature took the old Buildings and not Vandels and I am studying how the warehouses were built, and to my surprise the Jacob G Kinsey Built warehouses are made much better then I ever knew. Also looking at the racks you think to yourself I bet there is no one living in this day and age who has the skill to build something like Warehouses D & E the way the racks are put together with giant bolts and the slots in the walls for each levels racks support! They were five levels high and if you were climbing the ladder you had to not look down while going up or coming down. D & E were the tallest Warehouses, and built around the turn of the century. Another thing the cost for the Quality wood that they used in them would mke it impossible to build something like them!

Also something I never thought of working in these two warehouses, if there would have been a fire and you were up top say level 5 you would never get out as the elevator would not work and by the time you climbed down if the section you were in especialy D, if not burning you would then be at the very back and have to walk the wooden walkway to get to the front.

You would then be in more trouble when you got to the bottom as each building had one door out. Guess you could have jumped out of one of the windows but if you lived you would break alot of bones. Also if you could get to a window between the racks!

One Last note some of the very best Whiskys we ever made came from Warehouses D & E. Rittenhouse Rye BIB, All the barrels for The Special 20 Year old, Old Hickory Bourbon and alot of Hallers County Fair whisky too!
I had my first taste of Whiskey in Warehouse E and it was Rittenhouse Straight 100 proof Rye, for a young guy it was awsome!

Note this Nov will be 6 years since I started here writing about Publicker and The Continental Distilling Corporations Kinsey Distillery Division. I still enjoy sharing everything I can about the plants and Kinsey! I well remember the Old water towers Painted saying Continental Distilling Corp Kinsey Distillery a Division Of Publicker Industries.

Re: My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

Dave, I got a Continental relic off EBay. It is a Union agreement book for 1969-1971. It has some advertisements in it along with all sorts of descriptions of pay and a list all the positions at all the Publicker plants. It's pretty cool.

Re: My Memories of Kinsey Distilling

Originally Posted by ethangsmith

Dave, I got a Continental relic off EBay. It is a Union agreement book for 1969-1971. It has some advertisements in it along with all sorts of descriptions of pay and a list all the positions at all the Publicker plants. It's pretty cool.

Wow how did I miss that. That is the Last 3 years I worked there, I will have to try to find one myself but most times you miss something you never see another Good find!
Dave Z